Great News! Toronto City Manager evicts ‘info pillars’.

NOTE: November 18, 2011. I just received a very polite phone call from the City’s Strategic Communications office, asking me to revise this post to make it clear that this is indeed satire, and NOT about an actual letter from the City Manager. So, to be very clear: The City of Toronto is NOT evicting Astral’s clunky sidewalk billboards from public space. They are only evicting our most engaged and optimistic youth.

Original (satirical) post:

“In a stunning turn of events today, City Manager Joe Pennachetti sent out eviction notices to Occupy Toronto and to Astral Media. The residents of the Occupy camp have been asked to dismantle their tents, and Astral Media has been asked to dismantle their so-called “Information Pillars”, both for the same reasons. This is a huge step towards reclaiming our public spaces from improper use.

Read Pennachetti’s full eviction notice here.” (Note: THIS IS SATIRE. I have added ink stains and oil spills to obscure any City trademarks or references to City staff)

Interesting. Ironic too, as the city sells more and more of the commons to private interests – sells more of our temporal, collective, visual field – there then becomes less and less space for vibrant dissent in civil society. Less toleration of what the money was originally intended to be used for – strengthening civil society.

Perhaps OccupyToronto is getting evicted because they aren’t meshing with The Mayor Office brand?

Yay! The city manager has FINALLY decided to suppress a grassroots movement by evicting peaceful protesters from a public park through the use of brute force! Finally! Its about time, all that freedom of speech, positive energy and hope for improvements in our government, environment, and society was terribly annoying. =.= yes, this is very good news.

Actually, Michael B, these new ones were approved by the current council. The previous info pillar incarnation under the Astral street furniture contract approved by the Miller council actually looked like info pillar.

You’re both right. The new design was approved by the current Council. But the old designed (approved by Team Miller) wasn’t that different. It still had two primary ad panels, and a small (almost hidden) ‘info’ panel.

They’ve gone from bad to worse. But neither served as functional ‘info pillars’.